Athletics at OSSB

Participation in athletics plays an important role in the development of the students. Young men and women have the opportunity to compete in track, swimming, wrestling, and cheerleading. Competition is scheduled with other schools for students with visual impairments with a sixteen-state conference. Dual meets, triangular meets, and the annual conference tournament sponsored by the North Central Association of Schools for the Blind (NCASB) provide students with many valuable athletic, social, and educational experiences. Academic eligibility requires a year-to-date 2.0 GPA for participation.

Click the following link to visit the North Central Association of Schools for the Blind (NCASB) Website. NCASB Conference

Athletic Director

Wrestling 2016-17

This year's OSSB Panther wrestling team was 9 strong.
We began our season in November. We traveled to Tennessee to compete in a 10 team tournament. We also hosted a day meet at our place and traveled to Indiana School for the Blind and
Visually Impaired for a day meet. The finale of the season took place in Louisville, Ky at the Kentucky School for Blind where the panthers "finished strong" in 3rd place.
This years team members:

Evan Alioto: For a little wrestler, Evan contributed a large amount to our team's success. He worked hard, showed up on time and had a fantastic attitude.

Alex Crawford: This junior, first year wrestler never gave up and put forth a great effort, finishing second in his weight class at conference.

Awat Rage: Finishing first in his weight class, Awat was a strong first year wrestler. He loved working out in the weight room and learning new wrestling moves.

Tanmay Chopra: Coming to us from India, Tanmay was very excited about wrestling. He did very well in Tennessee, the day meets. Prior commitments prevented him from traveling to
conference.

Caiden Hooks: Congrats to Caiden for wrestling smart and in control. His skill earned him a first place finish at conference with no points scored against him by his opponents the
entire conference tournament. Caiden surpassed his goal in weight lifting and strives to always become a better wrestler.

Ian Bell: Ian gutted it out this year. He is a first year wrestler. He surpassed his goals in weight lifting, and proved to be a competitor on the mat. He gave it 100% in Indiana
and injury prevented him from competing in conference. Great year Ian.

Asia Quinonas-Evans: Asia is a competitor and battling injuries, finished fourth at conference.

Ryan Chandler: Also warring with injury, Ryan did not give up. Ryan, was very helpful in practices working with younger wrestlers and helping them along.

Thomas Alfred: Thomas liked to live on the edge this season, but he always made weight and was ready to go. He had an outstanding conference tournament. In a first place finish, he
had no points scored against him by his opponents and he had the quickest pin in the tournament of 5 seconds flat.

This year, Caiden, Ryan and Thomas were able to practice some with The Whetstone braves wrestling team. This experience was invaluable and we thank head coach Tom Jones and the Braves for
having us down for a few practices. We concluded our season with a pizza victory celebration get together with the cheerleaders. A special thanks to the cheerleaders, their coaches, our
assistant coach Ron Heath. Our seniors this year are Asia, Ryan and Thomas. While we continue to build the future of panther athletics, we wish them good luck and all the best as they go
out and build their future. Go Panthers and "finish strong."

Varsity Cheerleading 2016-17

The 2016-17 Cheerleading season was a huge success! We were happy to welcome back our returning cheerleaders and enjoyed having new students participate. The cheerleaders came to practice every day ready to work hard and have a TON of fun. This year the cheerleaders
traveled to Tennessee, Indiana, hosted a day meet here at OSSB , and competed in our national conference in Kentucky! Members of the Varsity Squad this year include Leeann Nichols, Aujanee Bland, Anna Herrera, Kayla Garland, Autum Radcliff, and co-captains Connie Macrides
and Sophia Larick. Members of this year’s pep-squad were Laiken Smith, Alex Schroeder, Casey Campbell, Chantel Reed, and Taylor Harding. The cheerleaders showed their Panther pride cheering on the wrestlers throughout the season, and did a wonderful job representing OSSB
at the national conference. Captain Sophia Larick competed for the title of Outstanding Cheerleader and took home second place!
Coach Rachel Bailey and Assistant Coach Denise Reed are very proud of the cheerleaders and want to congratulate them on all of their accomplishments this season.

Cheerleading

The cheerleading program consists of 3 squads: Varsity Squad (7-12), Pep Squad (7-12), and Pee Wee Squad (K-6), to support and cheer on the Wrestling Panthers. The OSSB cheer season begins with tryouts for Varsity and Pep Squads (and “Raja” the Mascot and Manager positions) the first week of November and ends with the NCASB Competition at the end of January. Varsity Squad practices 2-3 times a week to learn sidelines and a complete cheer and dance routine, competing in 2-3 meets throughout the winter season. Pep Squad practices once a week learning sideline cheers and creating spirit items. They participate with the Varsity Squad during home meets and scrimmages, along with the NCASB send-off pep rally.

The Pee Wee Squad season begins the first week of February (anyone may participate) and culminates in the Pee Wee Sports Meet (swimming, wrestling, and cheerleading) at the beginning of March. Practices occur after school 1-2 times a week to learn sideline cheers and a short cheer and dance routine. All participants must be in good academic standing (GPA of 2.0 or higher).

We are very proud of our Braille Cheer, courtesy of Mrs. Patricia Wilson (2009):
Dot 6, Dot 6, OSSB.
We’re Ohio As You Can See.
We Got The Stuff And We Are Tough.
Dot 6, Dot 6, OSSB!

Forensics

High School (7-12) students may participate in forensics (public speaking). Competition occurs in the spring of the school year and is scheduled with teams from other state schools for students with visual impairments. Academic eligibility requires a 2.0 GPA for participation.

Goalball Teams

Dear Panther Fans:

The 2016 goalball season was exciting. The OSSB goalball panthers participated in three goalball meets. We traveled to Kentucky and Tennessee and held our NCASB conference in St. Louis, at Missouri School for the Blind. The boys team finished fifth and the girls finished sixth.

We got to see students grow and mature on and off of the court. They worked hard and were dedicated to becoming stronger individuals and increase the overall power of the team. All of our athletes met or surpassed their personal goals. We look forward to having another outstanding season in 2017.

Aiden Carter is a hard worker, always showing up to practice ready to go. He contributed very much to the team with his enthusiastic attitude, and scoring a goal at the Kentucky day meet. Cameron Conant has grown incredibly and worked hard during this goalball season and has placed specific focus on his running abilities. Awat Rage also did very well in practice and the Kentucky day meet. He learned about making good choices to create great outcomes. Jason Tolle was one of the new faces on the varsity team. He grew a lot this year and continues to focus on his strengths in anticipation of next season! Caiden Hooks is very methodical in his approach to playing goalball. He has set a goal to increase the power of his throw. Caiden made some tremendous blocks this season. Alex Crawford is always prepared when it is game time. He did whatever was asked of him and always gave it his best. Thomas Alfred worked hard all season. He wanted to continue to specialize his skills and worked to master his skip throw this season. This hard work paid off and led to many goals for the Panthers. Ryan Chandler led the team this year as center. He distributed the ball well and played a vital role in helping younger team members learn the rules of the game. His leadership was appreciated. Our most valuable player Brandon Mason did whatever needed to be done. His goals were to make the A squad or play center on the B squad. Brandon was able to do both this year.

For the Women’s Goal Ball Team, we welcomed three new players! These new members joined the veterans Yaqi, Maggie and Autum. Asia provided power at left wing, while Sarah excelled at right wing. Maggie was a key player in this group leading the Panthers to top quality play during games! Lalita provided scoring ability with those quiet balls she is so good at throwing. Our MVP and captain, Yaqi provided leadership, encouragement, knowledge and skill to a young developing team. Thanks girls for a great season!
To celebrate the many successes of the season, the goalball teams had a pizza party at OSSB.

Sincerely,
Dan Kelley and Kim Picard

OSSB Goalball Meet with Indiana and Kentucky from 10/29

Goalball is a team sport played exclusively by the visually impaired. The object of the game is to roll a ball which contains bells past the opposing team. There are two teams of 3 players which alternate rolling and defending. The offensive team rolls the ball in a manner that is either hard or soft, depending upon player style, in an attempt to get the ball past the opposing three players. The defensive team listens for the approach of the ball and attempts to prevent or block the ball from crossing the goal line. The ball is rolled back and forth with the offensive and defensive team alternating until time expires for the half. The game is played in two five or seven minute periods and the team with the most points wins. There are women's and men's teams with no variations in equipment or rules. Academic eligibility requires a 2.0 GPA for participation

Swimming

High School (7-12) students may participate in swimming. Competition occurs in the spring of the school year and is scheduled with teams from other state schools for students with visual impairments. Academic eligibility requires a 2.0 GPA for participation.

Track

Track and Field 2016

Girl's Team Coach's Letter

The end of the Track season has arrived! I hope the season included fun memories of friends, learning new events, faster times, longer jumps, further throws and many smiles and happy stories to share. This group has been a pleasure to work with!
We started off our season with a meet in Nashville against the Tennessee School for the Blind, Kentucky School for the Blind, Arkansas School for the Blind and Missouri School for the Blind. At this meet a new school record in the Girls Shot Put was recorded. Asia Quinones-Evans
threw 20’1”. Congratulations Asia!
The following week we hosted a dual meet between Indiana and saw improvement with our athletes all around. Last weekend we travelled to Indianapolis where both teams performed well. Both coaches were very proud of the track team accomplishments. After winning the NCSB Sportsmanship
award last year it was our turn to choose a replacement. We passed along the Team Spirit Award to Arkansas.
The girls team was small, but mighty this year! The team was led by Senior captain Asia Quinones-Evans. Varsity Letters were earned by many girls this season. I was impressed with the team earning 101 points in our first meet and consistently giving 100% effort, even when they were
sick or injured. This was an excellent group of girls who have talent and are strong. I can’t wait for next year! This spring we are planning on participating in the 5K Girls on the Run Race for fun! More information to come!
Thank you for supporting our student-athletes as they embarked on a fabulous track season. We are so proud of all that the Panthers accomplished this season! We look forward to seeing everyone next fall!
Sincerely,
Laura Shearer

Boy's Team Coach's Letter

The Ohio State School for the Blind Boys Track team enjoyed another successful season marked by some record setting performances. Some season highlights and noteworthy proclamations include:

Andrew Fleming’s inspirational participation in the 1600M run which necessitated the use of a guide-runner. Special thanks goes out to our Athletic Director for volunteering her assistance for this endeavor. It should also be noted that Andrew’s time of 7’56” (which resulted in a
1st place finish at the Conference Meet) was 1’29” faster than any of his previous practice trials showcasing his competitive fire!

The display of Awat Rage’s powerful and exciting “kick” in the 1600M event giving all a glimpse of his vast potential.

The resumption of good health for one of our teammates, Kris Pennington, who, despite his absence, maintained a stabilizing impact on the squad.

Jason Tolle’s refreshing source of uninhibited input along w/ the establishment of sound and promising personal standards in both the running long jump and shot-put events.

Byron Weaver’s steady improvement in both the 800 and 400 meter events resulting in a first place finish (!) in his one of his preliminary heats at the Tennessee meet.

Alex Crawford’s ongoing improvement across all preferred events including the triple-jump, running long-jump, 400M, and 60M consistent w/ his presentation as a well-rounded athlete.

Andre Cummings successful transition from Team Manager to participating athlete while serving as a catalyst for camaraderie and confidence.

Cam Cameron’s remarkable improvement in the shot-put w/ an increase of more than 4 feet during his last competition.

All-Star OSSB performances by senior co-captains, Ryan Chandler and Thomas Alfred. At the Ohio day meet, Thomas threw a personal best of 36 feet and ¼ inch to put him 4th all-time on the OSSB All-Star listing of track performances while Ryan’s height of 4 feet 10 inches on the high
jump at the Tennessee and Conference meets placed him in a tie for fourth all-time in that event. Ryan also achieved personal bests this season in the 60M at 8.15” and triple long-jump at 29 feet 10 inches.

It has been a pleasure and privilege to coach these young men who have not only improved their physical skills, but gradually united to pool their strengths and personalities into one cohesive team where spontaneous acts of brotherhood became commonplace. Additional gratitude goes out to
my fellow coach, Ms. Shearer along w/ Monica Roberts and Ben Horton for their invaluable assistance throughout the season.
Coach Charlton

Track begins in the fall on the second day of school. High School students (7-12) may participate and compete as long as an academic 2.0 GPA is maintained. The top 10 best boys and top 10 best girls on the squad will travel to the NCASB Track championships to represent OSSB.

Want to know what it takes to be the best here at OSSB? Click below to view the OSSB Track All-Star boards.

Wrestling

High School (7-12) students may participate in wrestling. Competition occurs in the winter of the school year and is scheduled with teams from other state schools for students with visual impairments. Academic eligibility requires a 2.0 GPA for participation.